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PORT SEDIMENTATION SOLUTIONS

Sedimentation near the docks and mooring areas of the six public ports on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (TTW) hinders barge access. While the US Army Corps of Engineers has responsibility and does the dredging of the navigation channel, the Corps does not dredge near the docks or mooring areas. The port authority (City, County, or State) must acquire their own dredging services. Sometimes the port authority can "piggy-back" on a Corps contract, but not always. Small dredging jobs are becoming increasingly difficult/expensive to acquire. Even the Corp has experienced difficulty in recent years in acquiring dredging services at reasonable rates. Several port directors have proposed that the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) take the lead in the purchase of a dredge, with the cost shared by MDOT and the port authorities, but the issues of purchase cost, operation, and maintenance over the long term have not been fully developed. A determination of cost/benefits is a desirable product of this research project.